DJ Bassnectar announces indefinite hiatus, apologizes after allegations of sexual misconduct surface
Lorin Ashton, better known as the West Coast-based electronic music producer DJ Bassnectar has now announced an indefinite hiatus from music following allegations of sexual misconduct against underage girls which recently surfaced online.
An Instagram page called evidenceagainstbassnectar outed the high-profile artiste last week, showing testimonial evidence from as far back as 2015 that he had had sexual encounters with underage fans. Some of the more disturbing claims state that he had blackballed a fan who had previously outed his nefarious activities and that he had made a habit of preying on young women in the past, using his fame and status as a famous musician to engage in his illegal sexual pursuits.
After being labeled a sexual predator on social media, 42-year-old DJ Bassnectar had previously refuted the allegations on his Facebook group "Love Here" last week. However, he did not outright deny that he had engaged in sexual encounters with underage girls during his career. Responding to allegations that he had sexually assaulted women in the past, DJ Bassnectar said "I have never been involved in anything that was not absolutely, unequivocally consensual," he said in a statement made on June 29, 2020. He added, "During a time when high profile men are being called out for their violence against women, I am proud to be an ally of women and stand in solidarity with victims. Thank you to all those who are listening to real victims of abuse and standing to support women."
However, after the overwhelming evidence continued to pile up and more fans began to speak out, DJ Bassnectar issued a statement on Twitter on July 3. It read, "I am stepping back from my career and I am stepping down from my position of power and privilege in this community because I want to take responsibility and accountability," he wrote. "I feel intense compassion for anyone I may have hurt. I truly hope you allow me a chance to work together toward healing."
He continued, "The rumors you are hearing are untrue, but I realize some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry." He then added, "I am handing off our nonprofit Be Interactive to a diverse team to continue without my involvement moving forward. Sometime in the future, I may share more thoughts on these matters, but for now, please take care of each other and I wish you all the brightest future."
Fans seemed to be a bit confused by his actions, with one fan saying what everyone else was thinking: "Did this man say I want to take responsibility and also say what we're hearing is untrue???? in the SAME statement." A fan also said "Apologizing to anyone you 'may' have hurt and claiming rumors are untrue, while willfully failing to address specific allegations, is not exactly “taking accountability.” Another EDM music group chimed in as well: "That’s what we are confused about too. It’s conflicting statements. Which one is it?"
A heartbroken fan said, "This hurts more than anything else in 2020", while another fan said, "Omg my heart just cracked right in half."
Fans also posted messages of support saying: "You’re still a legend in the game and a node that connected so many beautiful souls, experiences, and emotions. I hope you enjoy the peace away from all this. It’s been time for a break." Another fan said, "Lorin you changed our lives and countless others. Your caused more love to exist than any artist I ever knew. We hope you return stronger than ever after this pause for reflection. Peace Love Music."
A longtime admirer pointed out: "I don’t think it had anything to do with not having consent, just the abuse of power from being a 30+ year old prominent DJ having relations with girls who were as young as 17."
Another fan concluded, "I think it reads more like he is acknowledging that he has used his position of power to sleep with college-age women (which he admitted to before) while also denying the accusations of any misconduct with minors. It's not necessarily a contradiction."